Category : Databases and related files
Archive   : DATAMAGE.ZIP
Filename : SORTMRKR.HLP

"MARKER FILE HELP"

"Sorting place marker (marker) files record the current group to disk."
"Also recorded are the counters and the labels you gave then when they"
"were computed, if any."

"Suppose that we have defined a group by doing one or more select"
"records sorts. We need to divide our current group into two subgroups"
"and process them individually, then re-load the entire group and print"
"a report. By writing a marker file after defining the main group we"
"can fearlessly destroy it by doing another select records operation."

"Then, after processing the first subgroup, we re-load the marker file."
"The second exclusive sort rejects the records we just processed so we"
"can process the remainder. After we do, we re-load the marker file a"
"second time and print the list containing data we just calculated and"
"wrote into the records."

"DATAMAGE offers two ways to re-load a marker file: You may replace the"
"current group with the records contained in the marker file, or add"
"them to the current group. If you opt to append records the counters"
"will be zeroed by the program during loading. If you are replacing the"
"current group the counters written in the marker will be loaded."

"Another use of a marker file is to pass the INTERNAL record numbers"
"(file sequence numbers) of the current group and up to two numeric"
"datas to another program. The POWER MAIL and POWER COPY programs in"
"this package accept markers written by this program."

"Suppose you are processing a mailout-compatible file and you want to"
"send a sales blurb to everyone in Texas. You would sort all records"
"for TX as the state, then use F10 to create a marker called MAILOUT."
"Then, exit the BASE program and select #3, print mass mailing from the"
"system access screen. When the POWER MAIL program starts it loads the"
"file, then the marker, and prints the sticky labels only for those"
"records contained in the marker--the Texas records."

"WARNING: The marker files are only good until a record has been edited"
"deleted or entered. Then the state of the file has changed and the"
"marker may no longer be accurate. Using the example above, a new rec-"
"ord may be entered, and it might have TX in the state code field."

"It wasn't in the file when we made our marker so it isn't in the file"
"we recorded. If we go ahead and mail to those in the old marker file"
"the new record will be passed over."

"Even worse, a record in the marker could have been deleted and another"
"record, entered since the deletion and automatically placed in the"
"hole left by the deleted record, could be included."

"There is only one way to permanently define a group: Create a MACRO"
"that makes a marker during execution."